hunk

plural hunks

1. A large or dense piece of something.

   a hunk of metal

   3 more examples

   "Jim, this is nice," I says. "I wouldn't want to be nowhere else but here. Pass me along another hunk of fish and some hot corn-bread."

   1884 December 10, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], chapter IX, in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: (Tom Sawyer’s Comrade) […], London: Chatto & Windus, […], →OCLC, page 75

   A cowherd was sitting by the roadside eating this food, and as he was one of those pudding-faced, basin-clipped, decent fellows, he cut off two medium great hunks of bread and cheese for them.

   1936, Norman Lindsay, The Flyaway Highway, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 39

   GET RID OF THAT PESTIFEROUS HUNK OF JUNK! I CAN’T EVEN TAKE A NAP IN PEACE!

   2016, Mau Heymans, Kirsten De Graaff, translated by Dwight Decker, “Late-Night Larceny”, in Donald Duck: Timeless Tales (Disney Comics), volume 2, San Diego, Calif.: IDW Publishing, →ISBN, page 151

   Synonyms: chunk, lump, bit, chip, chunk, tranche, clip, crumb

2. informalAn attractive man, especially one who is muscular.

   Diana’s most recent romantic adventure at that time was with the sturdy hunk Will Carling, captain of the England rugby team, whom she had met in 1995 working out at the Chelsea Harbor Club gym.

   April 5 2022, Tina Brown, “How Princess Diana’s Dance With the Media Impacted William and Harry”, in Vanity Fair

   1 more example

   The unfortunate thing about calling the season seven finale “The Dragon And The Wolf” is you can’t even reference it by name without picturing Daenerys Targaryen’s long-awaited hook-up with Jon Snow, her strapping hunk of an ally and also her nephew.

   2017 August 27, Brandon Nowalk, “Game Of Thrones slows down for the longest, and best, episode of the season (newbies)”, in The Onion AV Club

   Synonyms: beefcake, stud, beefcake, bona omi, Chad, chicken, chick magnet, dimber cove

3. computingA record of differences between almost contiguous portions of two files (or other sources of information). Differences that are widely separated by areas which are identical in both files would not be part of a single hunk. Differences that are separated by small regions which are identical in both files may comprise a single hunk. Patches are made up of hunks.
4. USslangA honyock.

   "You ain't callin' me a country hunk, are you?" "Hell, naw!" Louie backed away and grinned.

   1941, William Woodrow Chamberlain, Leaf Gold, page 76

   Synonyms: hick, yokel, bogger, bogtrotter, boor, bucolic, bydlo, culchie

5. human sciencesA material object considered purely as extended stuff without identity criteria.

1. USA goal or base in children's games.